Glass cutting apparatus



April 99, R935. W. OWEN GLASS CUTTING APPARATUS Original Filed April 7,- 1955 9 Sheets-Sheet l l bd/a TTORNE'YS.

W. OWEN A rifl w, 1935.

v GLASS CUTTING APPARATUS Original Filed April 7, 1933 9 Sheets-Sheet 2 Own INVENTOR MILL/HM OWEN- BY ATTORNEYSQ pril 30 1935 'W OWEN w wm GLASS CUTTING APPARATUS I Original FiledApril 7, 1935 9 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEW.

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I Mm I 52 .4 IN VENT OR MILL/HM OWEN.

V/S/Z/C/ A TTORNEYS.

Apmlk 39,. B935. w. OWEN GLASS CUTTING APPARATUS 9 Sheets-Sheet Original Filed April 7, 1933 INVENTOR (UM-4.11am (Du/EN.

BY eu, v fiu/ A TTORNE Y3.

w r V Aprifi 39, 1935.. W. OWEN GLASS CUTTING APPARATUS Original Filed April '7, 1955 9 EheetS Sheet 6 INVENTOR p LUILLJHM @UJEN- @W 9 @QQ/ A TTORNEYfi Aplrill 30, W35. w. OWEN GLASS CUTTING APPARATUS Original-Filed April 1935 9 Sheets-Sheet 7 IN VEN TOR MLLJH/ r (Du/ N.

ATTORNEYS.

April! 3@, 11935. w. OWEN GLASS CUTTING APPARATUS Original Filed April 7, 1933 9 Sheets-Sheet 8 IN VENT OR vLU/L. L/HM GLUE-N.

W. OWEN GLASS CUTTING APPARATUS Original Filed April 7, 1955 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 m m M 9 IO MA W fi 3 MW W Patented Apr. 30, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GLASS CUTTING APPARATUS William Owen, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Pitts burgh Plate Glass Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania 25 Claims. (Cl. 3332) I The invention relates to an apparatus for cutting glass sheets into sections and constitutes a division of my application, Serial No. 664,926, filed April 7, 1933. It has for some of its primary objects the provision of an improved construction, 1) which will cut the glass in both directions to a close dimension; (2) which squares up the glass on the runway preliminary to the scoring operation; and (3) wherein the cutter heads are of compact, rigid form arranged so that the operation of a single actuating lever controls the up and down movements of the cutters carried by the heads and the clamping of the heads in adjusted position on the bridge or carrier. One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figs. 1 and la together constitute a plan view of the assembled apparatus. Figs. 2 and 2a. comprise a side elevation of the apparatus. Figs. 3 to 8 are vertical sections on the lines III--III to VIIIVIII of Figs. 1 and 1a. Figs. 9 to 14 are diagrammatic views showing one of the glass sheets in the various stages of handling and cutting, such diagrammatic views being placed in 25 eachcase opposite the portion of the runway Figs. 1 and la. at which the sheet is in the condition illustrated. Figs. 15 and 16 are detail views of the pin clutch construction used at the ends of the rollers of two. of the runway sections, Fig. 30 15 being a section on the line XV-XV of Fig. 16,

and Fig. 16 being a side elevation partly in section. Figs. 17 and 13 are enlarged detail views showing the strip and cross cutting rules respectively. Figs. 19 and 20 are detail'views showing 35 the construction at the ends of the rolls of the crosscutting section of the runway. Figs. 21,

22, 23, 23a, and 24 are enlarged detail views showing parts of the cutter heads and cooperating parts, Fig. 21 being a plan View, Fig. 22 a front 40 elevation, Fig. 23 a vertical section, Figs. 23a. and 2a a partial section and partial side elevation. Fig. 25 is a vertical section through one of the cutters. Fig. 26 is a detail View of one of the spacing sticks used in connection with the cut- 45 ters. Figs. 2'7 and 28 are detail views of one A of the cutter spindle guides, Fig. 27 being a front View and Fig. 28 being a vertical section. Fig. 29 is a partial section and partial side elevation view of the cutting device used on the strip cutting 50 section of the runway. And Figs. 30, 31, and 32 A are enlarged detail views showing the cracking ofi device of section E of the runway, Fig. 30 being a plan view, Fig. 31 a vertical section, and Fig. 32 another vertical sectionon the line XXXII--XXXII of Fig. 31.

Referring first to the general arrangement as shown in Figs. 1 and 1a, and 2 and 2a, this shows a runway made up of rollers, whose left hand end is preferably in alignment with a roller runway leading from continuous grinding and polishing 5 apparatus. A is the receiving section to which the glass sheets to be out are supplied either by the roller runway (to the left) or by a tilting frame arranged alongside such section. B is a storage section to which the sheets are supplied from 10 section A and on which they rest while awaiting transfer to the first cutting section. The sheets have prior to this time been inspected and marked for cutting, a typical marking being shown in Fig. 9, in which a is the line of the cross cut, 15 and 1722 are the lines of the longitudinal or stripping cuts. C is the cross cutting section. It is on this section that the cross out a, shown in Fig. 10, is made and the two sheet sections cc are separated, as indicated in Fig. 11. D is the strip- 20 ping section on which the portion of the sheet which is to be cut longitudinally is scored along the lines dddd, as shown in Fig. 13. And E is the strip snapping and separating section on which the glass is first cracked along the lines dddd 25 (Fig. 13), the edges which are snapped off are removed, and the three strips eee are separated, as indicated in Fig. 14.

The glass sheets are carried along the runway by means of the rolls 1, 2, 3, 4, the belt 5, and 30 the rolls 6 by means of sprocket chains passing around sprockets 7 on the end of the roll shafts and around sprockets on the ends of the shafts 8 and 9, which carry the belt 5. The motive power for the drive is supplied bythe motor 90 (Fig. 6) which is located midway of the runway and drives the shaft I l through the intermediary of the reducer 12. The drive is so arranged that rollers of each section A, B, C, D and E of the runway may be connected and disconnected at 40 will, so that the movement of the glass along the runway may be interrupted to permit of the cutting of the glass and its handling as later described. To this end each of the runway sections is driven from the main drive by an independent .countershaft provided with a magnetic clutch,

which latter is controlled by switches, thus permitting the operator to stop the movement of the rolls of a section whenever this becomes necessary. The countershafts for the sections A, B, C, and E respectively bear the reference numerals l3 to H5, which shafts and the shaft ll carry at their ends the magnetic clutches H. The drive for the various countershafts from the drive shaft H is accomplished by the chains l8, I9, 29

and 2|, which pass around suitable sprockets on the various shafts, as will be apparent from inspection of the drawings without a detailed description. The drive of the rolls of each section and of the belt 5 from the shafts H, and H! to It is accomplished by the sprocket chains 22, 23, 24, 25, and 25, passing around suitable sprockets. The construction and operation ofvarious sections of the runway beginning with the receiving section A at the left hand end of the system follows:

Receiving section A.-The glass sheets to be out are either supplied to section A from the roller runway to the left of section A (the last roller 2'! of which is shown) or by the tilting frame 28 provided with rollers 29 and pivoted at 30 (Figs. 1 and 3). This frame is counterweighted and provided with latches 3| and 32 for holding it either in the upright position shown in full lines or the horizontal position shown in dotted lines, the rollers 29 lying below the rollers of the table when the frame is in the latter position. This frame is utilized when the glass has been stored in racks and is brought to the frame on a vacuum frame or carrier. The glass sheet 33 is placed on the tilting frame, as indicated in Fig. 3, after which the vacuum cups are released and the frame tilted to horizontal position, the sheet pushed over and the frame lowered, thus transferring the sheet to the rolls of the runway. After the sheet is placed on the rolls 1! it is carried by such rolls and the rolls 2 onto the storage section B of the runway which requires no further description. The sheet may be allowed to stop on section B or may be carried along such section without a stop depending on requirements, the operation of the rolls 2 being started and stopped on either orboth sections by the manipulation of the magnetic clutches ll heretofore referred to.

Cross cutting section C.The glass sheet marked for cutting, as indicated on Fig. 9, is now carried onto the section C, where it is stopped with the line a (Fig. 10) over one of the bars 34, which are interspersed between the rolls 3. The section C could be operated with a single bar 34, but the use of a number, as shown, makes the operation more convenient, since less shifting of the sheets is required in order to bring the line a over one of the bars. The bars, whose upper surfaces carry a cushion of felt, are each mounted for vertical movement and have three positions of vertical adjustment. In its lower position, the bar clears the glass; in its intermediate position, it engages the glass and supports it along the line of cut when the glass is being scored; and in its upper position, its top lies above the peripheries of the rolls 3 so that pressure is applied to the glass causing it to crack. The means for adjusting the bars vertically is shown in Figs. 19 and 20. Extending longitudinally beneath each bar is a shaft 35 provided with a shifting handle 35, by means of which the shaft may be rotated through an angle of 180 degrees, the handle in its two extreme positions taking against the stop pins 37 and 38. The shaft is provided near its ends with the earns 39 for engaging the bar. When the cams are in the position shown, the bar 34 is in its lower position out of contact with the glass sheet. When the shaft is rotated clockwise 90 degrees, the bar is raised so that it engages thelower face of the glass sheet to support it during scoring. And when the shaft is rotated 90 degrees further in a clockwise direction so that its handle 36 engages the stop pin 38, the bar is raised so as to crack off along the line of scoring.

Before the cutting operation over one of the bars 34, as above described, the glass sheet must be squared up so that its center line is parallel to the center line of the table, and preferably so that the center line of the sheet is approximately coincident with the center line of the table. This is accomplished by the arms or fingers 40 and 4| (Figs. 1 and 5), keyed to the shafts 43 journaled in suitable bearings carried by the framework of the runway. The fingers are pressed yieldingly toward each other by the counterweights 44 and 45 carried by the horizontal arms 42 keyed to the shafts 43. In order to limit the inward movement of the fingers, they are provided with the pivoted arms 46, 46 extending slidably through the channels 41, 41 and provided with stop nuts 48, 48. The counterweight 45 is larger than the counterweight 44 and adjusted farther along the lever arms, so that the fingers 4| govern the position of the center line of the glass sheet on the runway and the stop nuts 48 are so adjusted that when the fingers 40 are moved to their innermost position by the counterweight 45, the center line of the sheet will practically coincide with the center line of the runway. Normally the fingers are held in their outer positions as shown in Fig. 5 by a pair of toggle links 49, 49 pivoted at their inner ends to a pin carried by the upper end of the plunger of the hydraulic cylinder 5|, the outer ends of these links being slotted and engaging pins 52a carried by the arms or fingers. The weights 53a hold the links and levers in the position shown until hydraulic pressure is supplied to the lower end of the cylinder 5| which lifts the weights and. pulls the outer ends of the links inward, thus releasing the pins 52 carried by the fingers 40 and 4| and permitting the counterweights 44 and 45 to move the fingers toward each other, thus squaring up the glass sheet and centering it. The cylinder 5| is under the control of the operator who admits fluid thereto after the glass sheet has been run onto the section C of the runway, or may be operated by the incoming glass engaging a suitable limit switch. While the two sets of fingers 40 and 4| acting on the opposing sides of the glass serve to square and position it most positively, it is possible to operate with only one set of fingers which will act to straighten or square the sheet in case its center line is not parallel to the center line of the runway.

The glass sheet is now on the table squared and centered, and with the line of cut a over one of the bars 34. The cross cut is made by means of a cutter carried on heads 52, 52 mounted on a bridge beam 53 for movement longitudinally thereof. The bridge itself extends the length of section C, and is provided with rollers engaging beams 54, 54 which act as a track upon which the bridge rides in making the cross cut. The bridge beam 53 is U-shape in cross section (Figs. 5 and 24), and carries at its end a pair of castings 55, 55 provided with rollers 56, which ride on the flanges of the beams 54, 54, which act as the track for the bridge. The upper edges of the beams 54, 54 are provided with racks 51, 51 engaged by pinions 58, 58 on the end of a shaft 59 extending longitudinally of the bridge. The shaft 59 is driven (to move the bridge) from the motor 60 (Figs. 1a and 24) supported on a platform 6| (secured to the bridge beam) through the intermediary of worm gearing in the casing 62 (Fig. 24:) and the spur gears 63' and 64 carried respectively by the shaft 65 of the worm wheel and the shaft 59.

The cutter heads 52 are preferably three in number and are mounted for adjustment longitudinally of the bridge beam 53 so that when desired, three cross cuts a may be made across the sheet instead of only a single cut a (Fig. 10). Each cutter head carries a pointer or indicator 66 which moves over the graduated rule 61 (Figs. 1 and 18) so that each head and the cutter carried hereby may be set with exactness with respect to the left hand end of the rule at which the graduations start. Each cutter head or carriage comprises an upright plate E58 carrying at one end a fork 69 (Fig. 21) in which is mounted the guide ill which carries the cutter spindle l'ila provided at its lowerend with a cutting or scoring wheel H. The plate 68, which forms the body of the carriage or head is provided at its upper edge with apair of rollers 12 (Figs, 23 and 24) engaging the parallel grooves 13 (Fig. 22) in the upper flange of the beam 53 (Fig. 21) while at its lower edge such plate is provided with another pair of rollers -14 engaging similar parallel grooves in the bottom flange of the beam. Springs 12a interposed between the spindles of the rollers permit their retraction to free the rollers from their grooves. The angular arrangement of the plates 68 permits the headers 52 to be moved close together, as indicated in Fig. 21, so that it becomes possible to make cross cuts in the glass sheet which is relatively close together, thus reducing the loss in cutting out strips carrying defects.

The guide W is of rectangular cross section (Figs. 27 and 28) and has its sides slotted at 15 so that it can be slid into the fork 9 and held against vertical movement therein. It receives the cutter spindle 'lfia, and is provided at its lower end with a block 76 (Fig. 23) carrying a roller ll which engages the lower end of such spindle and guides it in its up and down movement. The spindle llla has rigidly secured to it intermediate its ends the arm 18. Slidably mounted on the spindle above the arm is a collar 79 with a spring 8!] interposed between the arm and collar. The collar is provided with ,a latch pin 8i adapted to engage one of the notches 82 in the guide H3 (Figs. 23a and 27). When the collar is moved downward on the spindle and its latch pin engaged with one of the notches 82, the spring is placed under compression, thus applying yielding pressure to the arm 18 to force the cutter carried by the spindle into engagement with the glass sheet. When the latch pin is removed from the notch, the spindle can be removed from its guide .79. The cutter spindle is made hollow to provide for the passage of a cutting lubricant which is supplied to the.

cup 83.

The arm 78 and the cutting spindle carried thereby are controlled in their up and down movements by a cam 84, pivoted at 85 in the fork 6% (Fig. 23) and secured to an operating lever 8%, such lever being shown in the position occupied when the cutter is down on the glass. When the lever is swung to the right (Fig. 23) through an angle of degrees, at which time its movement is arrester by the stop 81, the nose of the cam pushes the arm upward against the tension of the spring all, thus raising the spindle to noncutting position. The cam also performs the function of clamping the cutter head in any desired position of adjustment along the length of the bridge beam 53. This clamping action is accomplished by the use of the spring'88 secured to :the cam 84, whose curved end bears against the sideof the guide 19, so that when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 23, the guide is pressed yieldingly to the left by the spring into engagement with the flanges 53a and 5% (Fig. 23) of the bridge beam. When the lever 88 is swung to the right from vertical to horizontal position, the spring 88 is moved away from the guide so that it no longer presses against the beam flanges, and the head with its cutter is adjustable freely along the length of the beam. At this time a leaf spring 89 secured to the cutter head 52 presses the guide 10 to the right in the fork 59 so that it no longer contactswith the flanges 53a and 53b. 7

.The spindles We are shown as provided with cutters in the form of the wheels H, but diamond cutters may be used, if desired. The wheels are carried by spring clip members which are pushed into the end of the spindle and held frictionally so as to be readily removable and replaceable, this being a detail of construction well known in the art.

After a out has been made, it is necessary, as heretofore explained, to move the cutter spindle or spindles to non-cutting or inoperative position byswinging the lever to the right to move the nose of the cam 84 upward and provision is made for doing this conveniently from one side of the runway. The device for doing this comprises a bar 90 (Fig. 24) extending the length of the runway and carried at its ends on a pair of arms 9!, 9| pivoted at 92. When the bar is swung to the right, it engages all of the levers Sfiwhich are in upright position and swings them to horizontal position. The swinging of the arms is accomplished by a rope 93 which is attached to a bolt 94 and has its right hand end secured to a spring reel 95 carried by a bracket 96, the reel serving to take up the slack in the rope at all times. A spring 97 attached at one end to the bolt 9d and at the other to a bracket 98 on the cutter carriage brings the arms 9! back to upright position when the rope is released, so that the levers 8'5 may be reset by the operator preliminary to the next cut. 1

The blocks 18 are provided with clips 98a (Fig. 23) to receive the ends of the cutting sticks 881) (Fig. 26), and thus space the cutters apart definite distances, so that a strip of any desired exact width may be cut from the glass sheet "without using the rule 6'! (Fig. 18) as a means forspacing the cutters apart the desired distance. This stick may be used to advantage in cutting Windshields, in which the dimensions may be read in thirty-seconds or sixty-fourths of an inch. The rule 61 is not graduated this finely, and the operator would have great difficulty in getting the exact dimension without the use of the sticks, which are of the exact dimension required in order to space the cutters.

In order to prevent an over travel of the bridge after the cutters have reached the edge of the sheet automatic cut off means are provided which are operated by the bridge. Such means include a limit switch 99 at each side of the runway, bell crank levers Hit, whose lower ends engage the limit switches and whose upper ends are provided with rollers 10!, and a sliding rod I62 at the end of section C. The bridge beam is provided with a collar H33 (Fig. 1) slidable on the rod I92 and adapted to engage collars HM, H14 secured to the rod. Springs I95 are mounted on the rod between the collars !M and the bearing I06 in which the rod slides, the purpose of the springs being merely to slow the bridge up and return the rod to starting position after the actuation of the switch. When the bridge reaches'the limit of its travel, the rod engages the roller IN on the switch lever I60 and causes it to actuate the limit switch, thus cutting off the supply of the current to the motor Bil which moves the bridge. The movement of the bridge in both directions is controlled in this manner.

As heretofore described, the glass sheet is supported during the cutting operation by one of the bars 34, which is raised by the cams 39 (Fig. 20) so that its upper side engages the lower surface of the glass. After the glass has been scored, the cam is rotated still further so that the bar is raised, putting pressure on the glass beneath the line of scoring and causing it to crack oiT along the line a. It is now desirable to separate the glass sections cc (Fig. 11-), and. this is accomplished by the provision of means whereby the rolls 3 supporting the forward section may be rotated independently of the other rolls '3 in order to carry such section a few inches ahead of the other section. This is accomplished by providing each roll 3 with a one-way pin clutch at the driven end, as shown in Figs. 15 and 16, and by providing the other ends of the rolls with the hand wheels IIlI shown in Figs. 19 and 20. Any type of one-way clutch may be employed. The one shown in Figs. 15 and 16 comprises the inner collar I98 having pin recesses keyed to the shaft 199 of the roll 3, and the outer collar III] which is provided with the sprocket III engaged bythe drive chains 24 of section C. Since the magnetic clutch ll (Fig. l) is not in driving engagement at this time, the collar III] is held against movement by the drive chain, but the inner collar I08 and the roll can be rotated forwardly by means of the hand wheels It? to carry the forward section of the glass sheet ahead as far as desired. After the glass sections have been separated, the magnetic clutch I1 is energized sothat the chain 211 is driven and all of the rolls 3 are rotated, thus carrying the glass sections along the runway onto section D where the rear section is to be cut longitudinally into strips 000 (Fig. '12) and the edges trimmed off. This section D of the runway will now be described. The section of the sheet which requires no further cutting is carri'edalong over sections D and E.

Longitudinal cutting section D.-Th-is section, which is generally referred to as the stripping section, is provided at its left hand end with rollers 4 (Fig. 1a) which carry the glass sheet onto the belt 5. Beneath the top flight of the belt is a fixed floor or deck I I3 (Fig. '29) of wood for holding such flight flat and level during the scoring operation. The scoring apparatus and method of operation are substantially the same as described in connection with the cross cutting apparatus of section C except that the bridge beam H4 extends transversely of the runway instead of longitudinally thereof, and the channel beams H5 which constitute the track on which the bridge moves extend longitudinally of the runway. The beams I I 5 are provided with racks H6 corresponding in function to the racks 5"! of section C and the motor and driving-connections are the same throughout asdescribed in connection with section C. These parts, therefore, re-

applied thereto, as will be seen by reference to Fig. 29.

. The only differences in the construction of the longitudinal cutting arrangement of Fig. 29, as compared with that of the cross cutting arrangement of Fig. 24, lies in the rule construction (Fig. 17) and in the automatic stop switches.

As shown, the bridge is equipped with five heads each provided with a cutter corresponding to the indicators In to. I2I. The indicators, which are attached to the cutter head, work over the three, sliding rules I22, I23 and I 24. The rule I23 reads both ways from its center, and is attached to the center indicators I I9 so as to move therewith. The rule I22 reads from its right hand end, and is attached to the indicator I2I so as to move therewith, while the rule I24 reads from its left hand end, and is attached to the indicator I I1 so as to move therewith. The indicators I I8 and I 20 are movable independently of any of the rules. By the use of this arrangement the operator can set either center indicator H9 and measure his distances for the other indicators from such point as a base, or he. can set the end indicators III! and IN so as to trim oil" the edges of the sheet and then measure from such indicators as a base in setting the other three indicators (or two indicators as the case may be). In either case, the scales give a direct reading of the distances from the base points so that the operator has no additions or subtraction to make, and does not have to use a separate measuring stick or rule in setting the indicators. In setting the rules to cut thesheet as shown in Fig. 12, the indicators Ill and HM can first be positioned to trim the edge off the sheet, after which, the indicators I I8 and I29 can be set to divide up the distance between the edge cuts in any way desired. The distance of the indicator I I8 from the indicator I I'I maybe read on the rule I24, and the distance of the indicator I20 from the indicator 12! may be read on rule 222. In case the two middle lines of out on the sheet of Fig. 12 are established by'defects on such lines through which the cutters pass, the indicators H8 and I20 are placed over these lines, and the cutter heads carrying the indicators Ill and I2I set to cut strips of the desired width. In such case, rule 124 is used to set the indicator l I I and thus give a strip of the desired width between the indicators II! and H8, while the rule I22 is used to set the indicator I2I and give a strip of the desired width between-indicators I29 and HI.

The movement of the bridge longitudinally of the runway may be controlled by limit switches arranged like the limit switches 99 of the cross cutting bridge and such equipment is shown in Fig. 1a, but in addition another arrangement of limit-switches may be used, as shown in Fig. 29. In this construction, the limit switches are controlled by the glass sheet itself. In accomplishing this result, two "limit switches I25 and I26 are employed operated by the bell crank levers I21 and I28 provided with rollers I29 and I30 adapt ed to ride 'on the glass sheet. When the bridge moves to the left in making the cut, the roller "I 29 moves down as it passes off of the sheet, thus actuating the switch I25 which throws a resistance into the motor windings which acts as a brake on its operation and on the movement of the bridge. When the roller I30 passes oh; of the sheet, the limit switch I26 is operated, cutting off the current to the motor. By this means the bridge is stopped automatically just as the cutters reach'the edge -of the glass sheet so that the cutters are prevented from dropping onto the belt whichsuppo'rt-s the glass, and avoiding injury to the cutters, the belt, and the next piece of glass.

The space between sections D and E of the runway is bridged by a drop gate or apron comprising the arms IBI (Figs. la and 2a) carrying at their endstherollers I32. Thisbridge canbe swungfrom the horizontal full-line position shown in Fig. 2a.

to the vertical dotted line position shown in such figure, permitting the operator tostand between sections D and-E while setting the cutter heads on the bridge H4. The arms I33 carry a beam I33 which lies below the roller I32 when the arms are in horizontal position, but which projects above the level of the roller when the arms are in vertical position (Fig. 2a), so that such beam acts as a stop to prevent the glass from accidentally being fed into the space betweenthe sections D and E, while such space is occupied by the operator. The apron is held in horizontal position by means of a handle I 34 which is engaged by a latch I35 of suitable construction carriedby the framework of the runway. The glass having been scored longitudinally on the section D, as indicated in Fig. 12, is ready for cracking along the lines of scoring dddd, and for this purpose is moved onto the runway section E, this beingaccomplished by energizing the magnetic clutch I'I, so that the belt 5 is operated, thus moving the glass sheet over the apron and onto section E.

Strip snapping section E.Two operations are performed on this section. The scored glass is first cracked ofi along the lines of scoring (Fig. 13), and the strips, as thus formed, are then separated, as indicated in Fig. l l, preliminary to feeding the sheets forwardlyoff of section E, thus completing the operation. The support for the glass sheet on section E comprises a series of bars I36, I36, etc. interspersed by the rolls Ii, ii, 6 etc. The rolls are always maintained at the elevation shown in the drawings, but the bars are mounted for vertical movement, and may lie either at the position shown in Fig. 32, with their upper faces just below the level of the tops of the rolls, or they may lie with their upper faces above the level of the tops of the rolls. They are moved to the latter position to secure the cracking of]? action, and when in such position, may be moved endwise, in order to secure the separation of the glass strip lying on the bars from the adjacent strip lying on the rolls at the ends of the bars.

The bars I35 are in length slightly greater than one-half the width of the runway (Figs. 1a and 8), and each comprises a pair of channels I3'I carrying at the ends the transverse wood blocks I38 beveled, as indicated at I39 with a wood strip MI) between the blocks carrying a felt strip MI. The channels I31 are rigidly connected at their ends to a beam I42 built up of channels and extending the length of the runway section E (Fig. 2a,). This beam constitutes a carriage, being provided at each end with four rollers M3 (Figs. 8 and 31) which engage the upper'fla'nges of a pair of I beams IM extending transversely of section E at each end thereof, and constitute a track for the carriage. A rack bar M5 is also provided along the upper edge of each of the beams IM- engaged by a pair of pinions carried on a shaft I45 extending longitudinally of the carriage and provided with a hand wheel I4! at each end (Figs. la and 20.). By rotating one of the hand wheels, the carriage may be moved back and forth along the track beams I 54, so that the position of the bars'ISB may be shifted, as desired, in order to bring the edges Hi8 (Fig. 31) of the blocks I38 beneath the line of scoring on the glass sheet to cause cracking along such line when the bars are raised above the level of the tops of the rolls (5, as later described.

Provision is made for lifting the carriage beams M2 in order to raise the bars I38, and thus cause the sheet to crack along the line of scoring. This is accomplished by the bell crank levers I49, I49 and IE8, I553, each of which hasone arm connected to the beam Md by means of a link I5I, such levers being mounted on transverse shafts IE2 and I53 journaled in the framework of the runway. Counterweights ted and I55 carried on arms E55 and I5? keyed to the shafts I52 and I53 serve to counterbalance the weight of the beam 42 and the parts carried thereby. The other arms of the bell crank levers Hi9 and I50 are connected by a rod I53, so that such levers operate in unison. Power means are provided for rocking the shaft in the form of a hydraulic cylinder I59, whose lower end is pivoted to a lever arm ii'iii keyed to the shaft I52. The plunger I6I which works in the cylinder has its upper end pivoted to the framework of the runway. By this means the beam and the bars I3? carried thereby can be moved up and down to lift the glass sheet in order to cause it to crack oif the glass sheet into sections.

When the glass sheet is run onto section E, the bars are in lowered position. After the sheetis in position on the rollers 5, the beam I42 is shifted laterally until one set of the block corners I48 lie in alignment with one of the lines d on which the glass is scored longitudinally. The cylinder I59 is then operated to lift the track beams I44 and the carriage beam M2 with the bars I36 thereon, thus lifting the glass sheet from the rolls, so that the portion of the sheet lying to one sideof the blocks is unsupported. The weight of such portion, aided if necessary by pressure applied by the hand of the operator causes the sheet tocrack along the line of scoring lying above the corners I48. Such pressure will be necessary in order to trim off the edges of the sheet which are not of sumcient'weight to crack off by gravity. As the edge strips are cracked off, they are removed from the runway and thrown into a cullet receptacle. When two sheet sections have been cracked apart, it is desirable to separate them laterally, as indicated in Fig. 14, and this is accomplished by moving the bars I36 which carry one of the glass sections endwise the desired distance before lowering the bars to rest on the rolls I3. After one cracking and separating operation has occurred, the operation is repeated until all the sections are cracked oif and separated, bringing the glass to the condition shown in Fig. 15. The making of the bars I36 of a length only slightly greater than half the width of the runway with the provision of the two sets of cracking off corners I48, I48, gives the apparatus the flexibility necessary in order to handle the cracking off operations easily and conveniently regardless of the manner in which the sheet is subdivided longitudinally.

After the sheet has been cracked and separated, as above described, the bars 36 are lowered and the magnetic clutch I! is energized to operate the rolls 6, the sheet sections thus being run oil of section E onto a roller receiving section, whose end ItZ is in alignment with the right end of section E. A drop apron is provided at the right hand end of section E similar to the one between sections C and E, the purpose being as before to permit the operator. to stand in the space between the sections, as occasion demands, when the rollers 5 are not being driven. This apron at the right of section E is-substantially the same in the matter of detail as the apron at the left of such section and bears the same reference numerals.

The operation briefly stated is as follows: The glass sheets to be cut into sections are supplied to section A of the runway from racks by the tilting transfer frame 28 or by feeding them onto this section from the roller runway at the left of section A. When the sheets are supplied by means of the frame 28, the magnetic clutch I1 is disconnected so that the rollers I are non-rotating. After the glass sheet has been applied to the rollers I, the magnetic clutch I! is energized so that the glass sheet is fed onto the storage section B of the runway. Through the control by the magnetic clutch II at the forward end of this section, the sheet may be either carried along continuously over the section or allowed to rest upon the section, depending upon whether or not the next section C is ready to receive the sheets from the storage section. The next step is squaring up the sheet and centering it on the runway, this being accomplished by the fingers 40 and M, shown in Fig. 5, which are operated from the cylinder so as to press against the opposite sides of the sheet and bring it to central position, as heretofore described. The sheet is now ready for cross cutting and is moved along the runway until the transverse line of out which has been marked with chalk lies above one of the beams 34. The beams 34 are normally below the level of the rolls 3, but when the cut is made, the beam is raised by means of the cams 39 (Figs. 19 and 20) so that the beam presses against the lower face of the glass and supports it. The glass is scored, as heretofore described, by means of one of the cutters carried by the bridge 53, such bridge being moved longitudinally of the bars 34 by means of the motor 60 which rotates the shaft 59 carrying pinions which mesh with the racks 51. After the scoring operation is completed, the cutter carried by the bridge is moved to inoperative position and the bridge moved back to starting position. The glass is now cracked along the line of scoring by rotating the earns 39 to elevate the bar 34 and apply pressure to the lower side of the sheet.

In order to separate the sheets thus formed, as indicated in Fig. 11, the rolls 3 which carry the forward section are rotated by the hand wheels I01, thus carrying the sheet along a few inches to give the necessary steps. The magnetic clutch I! of the section C is now operated to carry the glass sheets onto the section D of the runway, this being accomplished by the rolls 3 and 4, and belt 5 through the drive of the magnetic clutches II at the forward end of sections C and D. When the sheet has arrived at proper position upon the belt 5, the magnetic clutch is disconnected so that section C stops on the belt preparatory to the making of the longitudinal cuts d. The cutting is accomplished by the bridge II4 carrying the cutters whose positions are shown by the indicators II? to I2! of Fig. 17. After these indicators have been set, the bridge, actuated from the motor 60', is moved longitudinally of the belt and the. glass sheet thereon, scoring the sheet along the lines d. After the cutters have been moved to their inoperative positions, the magnetic clutch I1 is energized so that the scored sheet of glass is carried over the apron and onto section E preparatory to cracking off the sheet along the lines d. At'the time the sheet passes onto section E, the carriage I42 carrying the transverse bars I36 is in its lower position so that the upper edges of the beams lie below the tops of the rollers 6. After the sheet arrives on section E, the clutch I! at the forward end of the section is stopped, so that the glass sheet becomes stationary. The carriage I42 is now adjusted longitudinally of the rolls 6 by means of one of the hand wheels I4! until the corners I48 (Fig. 31) of the bars lie beneath one of the lines of scoring d. The hydraulic cylinder I59 is next operated to lift the carriage I42 and bars I" so that the portion of the glass sheet resting upon such beams is raised, leaving the portion of the sheet to one side of the corners'l4'l unsupported, causing thesheet to crack along the scoring lying above the corners I48. One of the hand wheels I4! is now rotated to carry thebars I laterally a short distance inorder to separate the cut-off portion of the sheet from the balance thereof. This operation is repeated until the sheet has been separated along the lines of scoring, after which the magnetic clutch I1 is energized to carry the glass sheets forwardly of! the section E, thus completing the operation.

What I claim is:

1. In combination in glass cutting apparatus, a runway comprising spaced rolls, means for driving the rolls, means for squaring the glass sheet to be cut on the runway comprising a set of fingers along one side of the runway mounted for movement toward and from the longitudinal center'- line of the runway and adapted to engage the side edge of the glass sheet, means for moving the fingers outward so that they are free from engagement with the edge of the glass sheet as it moves to a position opposite the fingers, means for moving said fingers toward the center line of the sheet so that the centerline of the sheet is moved into parallelism with the center line of the runway, and cutting means over the runway for scoring the glass sheet after it is positioned on the runway by the fingers.

2. In combination in glass cutting apparatus, a runway comprising spaced rolls, means for driving the rolls, means for squaring the glass sheet to be cut on the runway comprising two sets of fingers on opposite sides of the runway mounted for movement toward and from each other and adapted to engage the side edges of the glass sheet, means for yieldingly holding the fingers in their outer positions, means for moving the two sets of fingers toward each other so as to engage the edges of the glass sheet and bring its longitudinal center line into parallelism with the longitudinal center line of the runway, and

cutting means over the runway for scoring the glass sheet after it is centered.

3. In combination in glass cutting apparatus, a runway comprising spaced rolls,.rneans for driving the rolls, means for squaring the glass sheet to be cut on the runway comprising two sets of fingers on opposite sides of the runway mounted for movement toward and from each other and adapted to engage the side edges of the glass sheet, means for yieldingly holding the fingers in their outer positions, means for moving the two sets of fingers toward each other so as to engage the edges of the glass sheet and bring its longi tudinal center line into parallelism with the longitudinal center line of the runway, and in substantial coincidence therewith, and cutting means over the runway for scoring the glass sheet after it is centered.

4. In combination in glass cutting apparatus, a runway comprising spaced rolls, means for driving the rolls, means for squaring the glass sheet to be cut on the runway comprising two sets of fingers on opposite sides of the runway interspersed between the rolls mounted for movement toward and from each other and adapted to engage the side edges of the glass sheet, means for yieldingly holding the fingers in their outer positions, means for simultaneously moving the two sets of fingers toward each other so as to engage the edges of the glass sheet and move it so that its longitudinal center line is brought into parallelism with the center line of the runway, and cutting means over the runway for scoring the glass sheet after it is centered. v

5. In combination in glass cutting apparatus, a runway comprising spaced rolls, means for driving the rolls, means for squaring the glass sheet to be cut on the runway comprising two sets of fingers on opposite sides of the runway mounted for movement toward and from each "other and adapted to engage the side edges of the glass sheet, means for yieldingly holding the fingers in their outer positions, means for moving the two sets of fingers toward each other so as to engage the edges of the glass sheet and bring its longitudinal center line into parallelism with the 1ongitudinal center line of the runway, said means including weights tending to move the fingers toward each other, and cutting means over the runway for scoring the glass'sheet after it is centered. v

6. In combination in glass cutting apparatus, a runway comprising spaced rolls, means for driving the rolls, means for squaring the glass sheet to be cut on the runway comprising two sets of fingers on opposite sides of the runway mounted for movement toward and from each other and adapted to engage the side edges of the glass sheet, means for moving the two sets of fingers toward each other so as to engage the edges of the glass sheet and bring its longitudinal center line into parallelism with the longitudinal center line of the runway and in substantial coincidence therewith, said means including link mechanism and stop means for limiting the movement of one set of fingers toward the center line of the runway, and cutting means over the runway for scoring the glass sheet after it is centered.

'7. In combination in glass cutting apparatus; a runway comprising spaced rolls, means for driving the rolls, means for squaring the glass sheet to be cut on the runway comprising two sets of fingers on opposite sides of the runway mounted for movement toward and from each other and adapted to engage the side edges of the glass sheet, weight devices for moving the two sets of fingers toward each other so as to engage the edges of the glass sheet and bring its longitudinal center line into parallelism with the longitudinal center line oi? the runway, weight devices for moving the two sets of fingers away from each other, power means for controlling the operation of the weight devices, and cutting means over the runway for scoring the glass sheet after it is centered.

8. In combination in glass cutting apparatus, a runway comprising spaced rolls, means for driving the rolls, means for squaring the glass sheet to be cut on the runway comprising two sets of fingers on opposite sides of the runway mounted for movement toward and from each other and adapted to engage the side edges of the glass sheet, weight devices for moving the two sets of fingers toward each other so as to engage the edges of the glass sheet and bring its longitudinal center'line into parallelism with the longitudinal center line of the runway, stop means for limiting the movement of one set of fingers, the moving force applied by the weight devices to such last set of fingers being greater that that applied to the other set of fingers, and cutting means over the runway for scoring the glass sheet after it is centered.

9. In combination in glass cutting apparatus, an endless belt having a horizontal flight at the level of the tops of the rolls for receiving from the rolls of glass sheet carried thereover, means for driving the belt intermittently whereby the belt may be stopped after the glass sheet has been moved onto the belt, a fixed table having a fiat continuous face over which the horizontal flight of the belt slides and adapted to maintain such flight in a horizontal plane during the scoring operation, and a carriage movable longitudinally over said horizontal flight of the belt provided with means for scoring the glass sheet.

10. In combination in glass cutting apparatus, a runway comprising an endless belt having a horizontal flight for carrying the glass sheet to be out, means for driving the belt including throwout means whereby the belt may be stopped after the glass sheet is in position on the belt, a fixed table over which the horizontal flight of the belt slides, and adapted to maintain such flight in a horizontal plane during the scoring operation, a carriage movable longitudinally over the horizontal flight of the belt provided with means for scoring the glass sheet, a motor and driving connections for moving the carriage, a limit switch for interrupting the operation of the motor and stopping the movement of the car riage, and actuating means for the switch moved by the carriage over the glass sheet in contact therewith and adapted to operate the limit switch when said actuating means moves off of the rear end of the glass sheet.

11. In combination in glass cutting apparatus, a runway comprising an endless belt having a horizontal flight for carrying the glass sheet to be cut, means for driving the belt including throwout means whereby the belt may be stopped after the glass sheet is in position on the belt, a fixed table over which the horizontal flight of the belt slides, and adapted to maintain such flight in a horizontal plane during the scoring operation, a carriage movable longitudinally over the horizontal flight of the belt provided with means for scoring the glass sheet, a motor and driving connections for moving the carriage, and means operated by themovement of the carriage for stopping its movement when the scoring means reaches the rear end of the glass sheet.

12. In combination in glass cutting apparatus, a runway for the glass sheets to be cut provided with forwarding means for carrying the sheets thereover, a carrier extending over the runway, a pair of scoring members guided for vertical movment on the carrier and independently adjustable therealong, a clip carried by each scoring member, and a spacing bar fitting removably in the clips and adapted to space said members apart. 1

13. In combination 'in glass cutting apparatus, a runway for the glass sheets to be cut provided with forwarding means for carrying the sheets thereover, a carrier extending over the runway, a pair of cutter heads on the carrier mounted for independent adjustment therealong, a guide member mounted in each head, a cutter spindle mounted for vertical movement in the guide, a

spring applying pressure to press the spindle down relative to the guide, a clip carried by each guide, and a spacing bar fitting removably in the clips and adapted to space said guides apart.

14. In combination in glass cutting apparatus, a runway for the glass sheets to be cut provided with forwarding means for carrying the sheets thereover, a carrier extending over the runway, a cutter head mounted for movement along the carrier, a guide member mounted in the head, releasable means for holding the guide member in the cutter head, a cutter spindle slidably mounted in the guide member and yieldingly pressed down, and means carried by the cutter head for raising the cutter spindle.

15. In combination in glass cutting apparatus, a runway for the glass sheets to be out provided with forwarding means for carrying the sheets thereover, a carrier extending over the runway, a cutter head mounted for movement along the carrier, a guide member mounted in the head, a cutter spindle mounted for vertical movement in the guide member and yieldingly pressed down, and operating means carried by the cutter head which in one position permits the cutter spindle to move down and at the same time clamps the cutter head against movement along the carrier, and in another position raises the cutter spindle and releases the cutter head so that it may be adjusted along the carrier.

16. In combination; in glass cutting apparatus, a runway for the glass sheets to be out provided with forwarding means for carrying the sheets thereover, a carrier extending over the runway, a cutter head mounted for movement along the carrier, a guide member mounted in the head and for movement toward and from the carrier, a cutter spindle mounted for vertical movement in the guide member and yieldingly pressed down, and operating means carried by'the cutter head which in one position permits the cutter spindle to move down and at the same time clamps the guide member against the carrier, and in another position raises the cutter spindle and releases the guide member from its clamping engagement with the carrier, so that the cutter head may be adjusted along the carrier.

1'7. In combination in glass cutting apparatus,

a runway for the glass sheets to be cut provided with forwarding means for carrying thesheets thereovena carrier extending over the runway, a cutter head mounted for movement along the carrier, a guide member mounted in the head, a cutter spindle mounted for vertical movement in the guide member and yieldingly pressed down, and operating means carried by the cutter head, and comprising an operating lever provided with a cam, which in one position permits the cutter spindle to move down and at the same time clamps the cutter head against movement along the carrier, and in another position raises the cutter spindle and releases the cutter head so that it may be adjusted along the carrier.

18. In combination in glass cutting apparatus, a runway for the glass sheets to be cut provided with forwarding means for carrying the sheets thereover, a carrier extending over the runway, a cutter head mounted for movement along the carrier, a guide member mounted in the head and for movement toward and from the carrier, a cutter spindle mounted for vertical movement in the guide member and yieldingly pressed down, and operating means carried by the cutter head, and comprising a lever provided with a cam and with a spring which engages the guide member which in one position permits the cutter spindle to move down and at the same time clamps the guide member against the carrier, and in another position raises the cutter spindle .and releases the guide member from its clamping engagement with the carrier, so that the cutter head may be adjusted along the carrier.

19. In combination in glass cutting apparatus, a runway for the glass sheets to be cut provided with forwarding means for carrying the sheets to be cut thereover, a carrier extending over the runway, a plurality of cutter heads mounted for movement along the carrier, a guide member mounted for movement in eachhead, a cutter spindle mounted for vertical movement in each guide member and yieldingly pressed down, an operating lever pivotally mounted in each head for swinging movement from an upright position to a position at an angle thereto, adapted when in upright position to permit the cutter spindle of such head to move down and to clamp such cutter head against the carrier, and when in its other position adapted to raise the cutter spindle and release the cutter head from the carrier, 50' that it can be moved longitudinally thereof, a cancelling barmounted on the carrier for movement transversely of said lever arms, and means for moving the cancelling bar so as to engage said lever arms when they are in their upright positions and move them to their other positions.

20. In combination in glass cutting apparatus, a runway for the glass sheets to be cut provided with forwarding means for carrying the sheets to be cut thereover, a carrier extending over the runway, a plurality of cutter heads mounted for movement along the carrier, a guide member mounted for movement in each head, a cutter spindle mounted for vertical movement in each guide member and yieldingly pressed down, an operating lever pivotally mounted in each head for swinging movement from an upright position to a position at an angle thereto, adapted when in upright position to permit the cutter spindle of such head to move down and to clamp such cutter head against the carrier, and when in its other position adapted to raise the cutter spindle and to release the cutter head from the carrier, so that it can be moved longitudinally thereof, a cancelling bar mounted on the carrier for movement transversely of said lever arms, yielding means for normally. holding the cancelling bar from movement toward said lever arms, and hand operatedmeans for moving the cancelling bar so as to engage said lever arms when they are in their upright positions and move them to their other positions.

21. In combination in glass cutting apparatus, a runway for the glass sheets to be cut provided with forwarding means for carrying such sheets thereover, a carrier extending over the runway comprising a beam made up of a pair of horizontal plates and an upright web connecting said plates, said plates being each provided on their inner faces with a pair of parallel grooves extending longitudinally of the plates, a cutter head comprising an upright member lying between said plates and provided at its upper and lower ends with rollers engaging said grooves and having a cutter support extending laterally through the open side of the beam, and a cutter member mounted for vertical movement on said support.

22; In combination in glass cutting apparatus, a runway for the glass sheets to be cut provided with forwarding means for carrying such sheets thereover, a carrier extending over the runway comprising a beam made up of a pair of horizontal plates and an upright web connecting said plates, said plates being each provided on their inner faces with a pair of parallel grooves extend ing longitudinally of the plates, a cutter head comprising an upright member lying between said plates and provided at its upper and lower ends with rollers engaging said grooves, and having a fork projecting horizontally from the front edge of said member at right angles to said web, a guide member in said fork removable therefrom by a lateral movement and held by the sides of the fork against vertical movement, and a cutter spindle mounted for vertical movement in the guide member.

23. In combination in glass cutting apparatus, a runway for the glass sheets to be cut provided with forwarding means for carrying such sheets thereover, a carrier extending over the runway comprising a beam made up of a pair of horizontal plates and an upright web connecting said plates, said plates being each provided on their inner faces with a pair of parallel grooves extending longitudinally of the plates, a cutter head comprising an upright plate lying between said plates, and provided at its upper and lower sides with rollers engaging said grooves, said plate lying at an acute angle to the longitudinal center line of the carrier, and a cutter member mounted for vertical movement in said head.

24. In combination in glass cutting apparatus, a runway for the glass sheets to be cut provided with forwarding means for carrying such sheets thereover, a carrier extending over the runway comprising a beam made up of a pair of horizontal plates and an upright web connecting said plates, said plates being each provided on their inner faces with a pair of parallel grooves extending longitudinally of the plates, a cutter head comprising an upright plate lying between said plates, and provided at its upper and lower sides with rollers engaging said grooves, and having an arm projecting at right angles to said web, and a cutter member mounted for vertical movement in said arm, said upright plate lying at an acute angle to the longitudinal center line of the carrier.

25. In combination in glass cutting apparatus, a runway for the glass sheets to be cut provided with forwarding means for carrying such sheets thereover, a carrier extending over the runway comprising a beam made up of a pair of horizontal plates and an'upright web connecting said 1 plates, said plates being each provided on their inner faces with a pair of parallel grooves extending longitudinally of the plates, a plurality of cutter heads each comprising an upright plate lying between said plates and provided at their upper and lower edges with rollers engaging said grooves and each having an arm projecting at right angles to said web, and a cutter member mounted for vertical movement in each of said arms, said upright plates lying in parallel with each other, and at an acute angle to the longitudinal center line of the carrier.

WILLIAM OWEN. 

